Folding miter gauge



Oct. 24, 1950 R. J. COLTON 2,526,852

FOLDING MITER GAUGE Filed May 16, 1946 WITNESSES INVENTOR.

mm c.

Patented Oct. 24, 1950 FOLDING MITER GAUGE Roland J. Colton, Port Washington, N. Y.

Application May 16, 1946, Serial No. 670,225

3 Claims.

My invention relates to geometrical instruments and has as its object the provision of a simple folding miter. gage which folds into a compact form when not in use, and is inexpensive to manufacture.

The embodiment of my invention comprises an inverted V type angle bisector having V hinged regulatinglarms wherein there is no vertical central bar used to maintain the apex of the V equidistant in relation to the sides of the inverted V elements.

The appended specification and drawings will enable those versed in, the arts towhich my invention pertains .tamake and use this device.

Referring to the drawings; Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of myinvention showing the arms of the inverted V at I and 5 with the regulating arms of the V shown at 9 and It, with the outer circumference of guide discs shown at 2 and I5. The arms of the inverted V are capable of arcuate movement on the hinge pin shown at 3, while the regulating arms 9 and ID are hinged on the pins I4, 1 and 8. The surfaces indicated at I, 3, 5, T, 8, 9, l and I4 are all on the same plane. An angle is formed on the arms of the inverted V as indicated by the lines H and I2 to enable the user to use this device as a template for the angular measurement of internal or external corners as when affixing mouldin to the inside of a room ceiling or the outside of a shelf where the angle is unknown.

In using this device, it is not necessary for the user to know the number of degrees in the angles involved. Merely setting the inverted V to correspond with the lines of the object where it is desired to aflix moulding or other such material will align the guide discs 2 and I5 so that when placed against the side of the said moulding, the miter line will correspond with the outside of whichever arm of the inverted V is in contact with the aforesaid moulding. This is shown where a piece of moulding I8 is in contact with the guide discs as indicated at I9 and 2| with the miter line parallel with the line 13. The moulding 3 would then be cut and placed parallel with the line H. Means of locking the regulator arms in a fixed position is provided by a knurled head set screw at the back of the guide disc IS. The regulator arms of the V may be identical with their upper ends made narrow, as indicated at 20 to allow the use of a mortice hinge in the elements I and 5.

Figure 2 is a fragmental plan view of my invention in the folded position and showing a milled slot at 6 which receives the thin part of the 2 regulator arm I 0 when the inverted V is changed: to a straight line.

FigureB is a perspective fragmental viewv of parts of the regulator arms 9 and ID with the pin l4 firmly aflixed to the arm 9 by anywell. known means such as a keyway and key, tapered pin or brazing, and the lower end of the said pin] is drilled and tapped to receive the set screw l1; The'guide disc l5 forms a cylinder of sufiicient depth to encompass part of the pin I4 with, s"ufficient clearance between the lower. end of the pin M and the bottom of the said cylinderto allow the said screw I! to firmly press the ele-, ment [9 between the elements 9 and I5 when the knurled knob I6 is turned to cause the aforesaid screw I! to be screwed into the pin l4.

Without departing from the scope of my in,- vention, the cylinder formed within the element l5 may have an internal thread and the pin l4 may have an external thread to enable the user to lock the regulator arms by screwing the element I5 further on to the pin l4 while the screw I! would be omitted. In Fig. 1 the method of attaching the pin 3 to the guide disc 2 may be any of the well known methods such 'as a press fit, riveted, screwed or brazed, or the said pin 3 may be integral with the said guide disc 2. The angle section of the inverted V may also be omitted, and various scales may be inscribed on the arms for special work.

Obviously there must be no lost motion in the various hinges of this device, and offset hinges are preferred, as indicated by the difference in the opposite sides, as indicated in Fig. 2 at 4. The materials used in the construction of this device may be any materials found'suitable.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a folding miter gage, shaft means, a pair of arms having their outer ends pivotally connected together by said shaft means, a second shaft means, a second pair of arms having corresponding ends thereof pivotally connected together by said second shaft means, pivotal connections between the other ends of said last pair and the arms of the first pair intermediate said ends, thereby forming a parallelogram, a gage disc secured to and depending from said first shaft means, a second gage disc secured to and depending from said second shaft means and consequently dirigible with respect to said first,

gage disc, whereby as said arms are moved apart said second gage disc is moved toward said first gage disc and as said arms are moved toward each other said second disc is caused to move in a direction away from the first disc, said movement being along a line bisecting the angle formed by said arms, and clamping means for positively clamping said gage after it has been set.

2. In a folding miter gage, shaft means, a pair of arms of generally L-shaped cross-section and having their horizontal portions at the outer ends pivotally connected together by said shaft means, the vertical edges of said arms constituting ruling or engaging edges, a second shaft means, a second pair of arms having corresponding ends thereof pivotally connected together by said second shaft means, said last arms being generally rectangular in cross-section, pivotal connections between the other ends of the arms of said second pair and the arms of said first pair intermediate the ends thereof to form a parallelogram, an engaging disc secured to and depending from said first shaft means, a second engaging disc secured to and depending from said second shaft means, said second disc consequently being dirigible with respect to said first disc, whereby the movement of said arms apart causes said second disc tomove toward said first disc along a line bisecting the angle formed by said arms and movement of the arms toward each other causes said second disc to move along said line in the opposite direction, and clamping means for positively clamping said gage after it has been set.

. 3. In a folding miter gage, shaft means, a pair of arms generally L-shaped in cross-section and of said second pair of arms lie on a common plane, pivotal connections between the other ends of the arms of said second pair and the arms of said first pair intermediate the ends thereof to form a parallelogram, an engaging disc secured to said first shaft means and positioned below and substantially in contact with the lower surfaces of said arms where they are pivotally connected by said first shaft means, a second engaging disc secured to said second shaft means and positioned below and substantially in contact with the lower surfaces of said second pair of arms where they are pivotally connected together by said second shaft means, whereby said second disc is dirigible with respect to the first disc and movement of said first pair of arms toward or away from each other causes said second disc to move, respectively, toward or away from said first disc along a line bisecting the angle formed by said first pair of arms, and clamping means carried by said second shaft means for positively clamping said gage after it has been set.

ROLAND J. COLTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

